Conventional open-end yarn spinning machines, such as the Schlaforst Auto-Coro machine, include a take-up shaft located above most of the other machine parts. The take-up shaft cooperates with a small rubber wheel known in the trade as a "cot" which is in operative contact with the shaft, and yarn being spun passes between the shaft and the cot as it is being pulled out of the spin box of the machine. Since the shaft rotates at high speed and is in an exposed location, it can present a safety hazard to operators.
According to the present invention, a guard is provided for the take-up shaft of an open-end yarn spinning machine, particularly the Schlaforst Auto-Coro machine, that eliminates or minimizes the possibility that an operator will be injured by coming into contact with the shaft as it is rotating at high speed. The guard according to the invention is easy to mount and place on the machine, easy to install in operative position surrounding the shaft, allows lint or trash on the shaft to be discharged, and does not at all interfere with the cooperation between the cot and the shaft, yet the guard positively prevents an operator from putting his/her finger in contact with the shaft.
The guard according to the invention comprises a tubular body member having a central axis with first and second ends spaced along the central axis. A slot is formed in the body member extending from the first end to the second end thereof, and generally parallel to the second axis, and a cut-out is formed in the body member adjacent, but spaced from, the first end. The cut-out is elongated both circumferentially and axially. A mounting bracket is connected to the body member adjacent the second end thereof and extends in a plane generally transverse to the central axis. The mounting bracket preferably comprises a Y-shaped bracket having the stem integral with the body member, and a pair of branches each of which receives a fastener passing therethrough.
In use, the bracket mounts the body member so that the body member surrounds the shaft, with the central axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the shaft, and with the cot engaging the shaft through the cut-out. The slot is at the bottom of the body member so that lint and trash will fall out under the force of gravity. The bracket is mounted by screws that are otherwise operative components of the machine, and the bracket and body member are held stationary with respect to the shaft.
Preferably the body member is formed of a flexible plastic so that the portions thereof defining the slot may be grabbed and moved away from each other, to allow the guard to be simply slipped over a shaft even though the shaft has a diameter significantly greater than the width of the slot. The bracket and body member may be an integral piece of injection molded plastic. Alternatively they are molded separately and bonded together with adhesive. They also may be made of other suitable materials, such as rigid or flexible pieces of metal.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a practical safety device for the rotating take-up shaft of an open-end yarn spinning machine. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.